May I suggest different kinds of succulents this year. There are so many forms of echeverias and they look so great in such pots.

Large type Aloe, some trailing succulents and Hen and Chickens with maybe a spikey grass??? I don't know...just look around and if something grabs you, try it. You can always pot them in another planter.
Plant what YOU like. :)

Those are Mexican-styled pots, me thinks. Love them!

I don't clean my pots unless something died an unnatural death.

~Annie

these are sempervivums.

Here is a link that might be useful: sempervivums in pots

Yeah, ianna.
Sempervivums = Hen and Chicks (not 'chickens' - my bad! lol
I love them and they come in so many colors and varieties.

Last summer, I bought a Red Yucca and set the pot inside an old brown sewer pipe. It bloomed all last summer and all the way until frost. It is evergreen, so the leaves stay green in Winter. The blooms are a reddish pink. It's just a beautiful plant. It has really grown and is already making "pups", so will be able to plant them directly out into the garden where there is good drainage. The bell-shaped flowers attract hummingbirds like a magnet.

I grew Coleus in pots on the patio last year. I loved this Coleus in the new yellow and bronze colors with my Blue America Agave:
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"Big Red" Coleus with Red Yucca behind it:
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~Annie

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Yucca showing close up of flowers

You could plant one of these Coleus or the the Red Yucca on top and some kind of trailing plant, like golden Creeping Jenny and/or the trailing Cobalt Blue Lobelia, in the side pockets. That would be stunning!

In fact, that sounds so good, I think I might do that myself this year!

I'm also in North Carolina 7B and the sempervivums and sedum 'Blue Spruce' overwinter in the pots if placed in a sunny spot in winter. In the spring, I pull off the dead pieces, cut the sprouted "chicks" and plant those. I really like having a year-round, low-maintenance and drought-tolerant containers.

I also have a container with agave that winters well against the side of the house.

As for grasses, I love stipa! It hasn't been invasive in my garden, but I literally finger-comb out the seeds with my garden-gloved hands. I then take those wisps with seeds, put a rock on top to hold in place. Then, the following spring, I have new stipa in the right places in my garden.

With our 90-100 degree summers, I was struggling to keep containers watered and now, I'm so happy to be switching over to more permanent arrangements.

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: succulent container

I grew sweet potato vine in my strawberry pot last year. I used all chartreuse but it would have been pretty with some of the dark (Blackie) mixed in. It draped nicely and I was very happy with it. When it got too long I just pinched it back and rooted the cuttings. Perfect.

Skibby

I love hens and chicks too Annie. Although if such plants survive my zone, I would much prefer echeverias. However nowadays sempervivums, aka hens and chicks come in so many varieties and most survive my zone 5a area. So do many sedums BTW.

For more ideas on using echeverias, check out Thomas Hobbes book 'Shocking Beauty'

Here is a link that might be useful: these are echeverias in pots

Ianna,
Echeverias are absolutely divine plants. I love them too.

Cameron,
thanks for the LINK. I could visit your place and look at all your plants and gardens for days on end. Beautiful, as always.

I'm in 7a here in Okie - sempervivums and sedum overwinter out in my garden and in pots outside just fine. The sedums go dormant, but pop back up in Spring like magic...in fact they have now. The are just glowing in the spring sunshine today.

Annie - I'm so happy with the succulent containers. My husband and I spent the day converting a section of the garden (removed the weedy chaste tree) and made another gravel garden where I intend to use more succulent containers.

It was 80 degrees here today! Unbelievable, but there were TICKS! I had one attached to my back. Yuk!

Cameron

Cameron,

Same here today.But tomorrow, the temps will drop back into normal spring temps in the 50s with north winds, so it will feel cold.

My fruit trees are popping into bloom like popcorn. The peach trees. The plums are about to open. The Pear is too, and the cherries will be soon to follow. Let's hope we don't get one of those late Blue Northerners.

I have found three ticks on me this past week. The one in the middle of my back I couldn't reach. So I had my Mom pick it off yesterday. Time to spread powdered laundry detergent around in the yard! Just pour it into your fertilizer spreader and run around in your garden. Weeeeeeee. Kills fleas and ticks, but won't hurt animals or earthworms. Learned to do this a long time ago from a fellow camper when camping out with Hippies. It really works! I also do this in my basement. Bye, bye bugs.
~Annie

Annie - THANK YOU for that tip on ticks! There's one section of my garden where they hang out and didn't know what to do because I didn't want to use any poisonous stuff.

Cameron

Annie: about the detergent tip,is there a certain brand to use. I think that's a good idea

finchlover

Nothing fancy - I go to the Dollar Store and just buy the cheapest stuff or whatever is on sale.

I don't know if it kills them or just makes them go away, but it works.

ticks! be careful of chronic fatique syndrome. You know you are infected when the area of the bite develops a large red circle.

Chronic Fatigue syndrome!

Well, for gosh sakes! Maybe that's what's wrong with me. I'm not getting old and decrepit - I have tick fever! (jk you ianna)

~Annie

Haha Annie. You've got more energy than any of us combined!